Unexpected
by The Ice Goddess
Summary: When Lila joins her uncle Ben on a trip into space, she didn't think she would be returning to Earth with powers! As Lila struggles to control her new-found talent, a certain playboy can't help but be drawn towards her. Why is Johnny showing such a sudden interest in her? And why does everything have to be so completely UNEXPECTED?
1. Victor Von Doom

**AN:I would like to thank _shadowglove _for her amazing crossover fanfic that got me interested in doing a Fantastic 4 story! Her story is posted under my favorites, and she herself is under my favorite authors! I will not be abandoning my other fanfiction, "Granger's Veela", I will just go back and forth I suppose.  
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**The cover picture is how I picture Lila, my OC. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Fantastic 4. I am assuming you all read the first chapter FIRST and read this, so I will not be repeating myself throughout the story. Thanks! **

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**Chapter 1: Victor Von Doom**

LILA'S POV

"Remind me why I'm here for the presentation?" I muttered as we walked up to Von Doom's giant skyscraper. My uncle, Ben Grimm, just shook his head as we followed his longtime friend and partner, Reed Richards, to the giant statue being built. We stopped and gazed up at the monstrosity. I had never seen such a show of arrogance and narcissism. And this guy was supposed to help my uncle? I doubted it.

"Typical of Victor Von Doom to build a thirty foot statue of himself." Ben muttered, and I snorted quietly. Good, old Ben.

"Well, it's obviously aimed at first time visitors to create feelings of smallness. Inadequacy." Reed zoned out, obviously feeling those emotions in full. Ben glanced at him.

"Good thing it aint working." I muttered, causing Ben to crack a smile at me. We began to walk into the huge building, as my uncle yet again voiced his displeasure.

"Reed, what are we _doing _here? This guy's fast-food strip mall science!" I trailed along behind them, letting the two hash it out.

"This wasn't our first stop, in case you forgot. Besides, Victor's not that bad. He's just a little…larger than life." Reed muttered as we finally escaped the crowds outside.

"No kidding…" I could already tell this wasn't going to be fun.

* * *

"My research suggests that exposure to a high-energy cosmic storm and solar winds might have triggered the evolution of early planetary life." Reed explained as Ben and I stood off to the side. I felt like we were waiting for an execution and Victor, who was hidden in the shadows for the presentation, was the executioner. "In six weeks, another cloud with the same elemental profile will pass Earth's orbit. A study conducted in space could fundamentally advance our knowledge about the structure of the human gene, cure countless diseases, extend human life! Give kids a chance to live longer, stronger, healthier-" My small smile at Reed obvious enthusiasm was erased when Victor interrupted him.

"Turn it off." A smooth voice commanded from the shadows. "Please." He added, as if realizing he was being rude, but not caring too much.

"I don't think I've explained my proposal fully…" Reed tried to begin, but yet again Victor cut him off.

"Oh, I think you have." I glanced at Ben and he seemed as tense as I was. "Same old Reed, always stretching, reaching for the stars, with the weight of the world on his back. But dreams don't pay the bills, do they?" Suddenly a magazine that read '_Reed Richards Bankrupt'_ was thrown on the table in front of him. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the great man in front of me, reduced to this. Poor Reed. I had to give him credit though, he never gave up.

"You remember, when we were in school, we talked about working together! Well, that's what I was about to explain." Reed picked up the device he was using to control his holographic presentation. Clicking a button, a new image formed, of a space station. "The storm is deadly, but the shields on your station's control room are designed any occupants inside." When Reed paused, the lights flickered on and Victor Von Doom was revealed. I had never seen him before, but I had to say he looked a lot like Reed, but stockier. Both had well-trimmed black hair, and an air of someone who knew more than normal. However, while Reed was unaware of the world outside of his work, Victor seemed to have an edge that told of his ambitious nature. He knew that he was smart, and had used it to help him many times. I grudgingly admitted to myself that he was obviously a good businessman.

"So, it's not just my money you want. It's my toys." He said with a small smirk curling his lip. Reed looked a bit shameful, but did not deny the truth of Victor's words. "Tell me. If NASA doesn't trust you, then why should I?" Reed's face froze in shock as he looked towards Ben, silently asking how he had known. Victor laughed as he got up from his throne-like chair. "That's my job. To stay a step ahead. To know what other men don't." His arrogant attitude got on my nerves and Ben's apparently, as he walked up to his partner.

"I can't take this." He groaned. Reed gestured with his hand for Ben to stay calm and stop talking.

"Ben, this is business. Just work."

"He's right, Ben. It is just business." A clear voice rang out from behind us. While Reed froze, both Ben and I turned to greet the new face. Ben obviously recognized her, but I was in the dark.

"I think you both know my director of genetic research, Susan Storm." Victor said. The beautiful blonde woman stepped forward, smiling slightly at us.

"One more thing he's got." I heard Ben mutter to Reed as he finally turned around. "Hey, Susie!" He said to the woman, Susan, as she approached with a big grin.

"Hey! Oh, it's so nice to see you!" She exclaimed, giving Ben a big hug. She then turned to me. "Who's this?"

"This is my niece, Lila. She's majoring in genetics and was hoping to come along to help with research and get a hands on experience." She laughed and held out her hand. I took it and we shook warmly.

"It's nice to meet you, Lila. Any family of Ben's is family of mine. I'm sure you could tag along if Victor decides to okay this trip. We could always use another set of hands." I tapped down the urge to jump up and down and do a happy dance. If they went, I went! I hoped more than ever that Reed could pull this off. "Speaking of family, how's Debbie?"

"Great!"

"Great." Her smile instantly faded when she faced Reed. Can someone say tension?

"How've you been?" Reed asked, the question falling flat. I winced, I really needed to try to teach Reed ho to flirt. This was pathetic.

"Never better." She held out her hand for him to shake, but unlike mine theirs was brief and formal. Putting Ben's earlier comment and these reactions together, I could recognize a bad break up when I saw one. Ouch. So Victor got the money _and _the girl.

"This isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Victor piped up from behind, startling me. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"Oh, not at all."

"No." Both Reed and Susan spoke at the same time. I inwardly rolled my eyes. If they didn't end up back together, then I would eat Reed's tie.

"Good!" Victor strolled leisurely towards us. He focused on Susan. "Then you are just in time to hear the great Reed Richards ask _me _for help." He held a swagger that I wished I could smack off his pretty face. What a jerk. He continued. "You know you made a lot of folks at MIT feel like a junior high science fair, so you'll excuse me if I…_savor _the moment." He gave a breathy laugh and Reed tried to look like he wasn't uncomfortable. He was failing at it and we all knew it.

"You back this mission, and I'll sign over a fair percentage of any applications-"

"The number's seventy-five." Victor interjected. "And it's applications and patents." My jaw hit the floor. Holy shit, was this guy for real?

"What about his first born?" Ben cut in, glaring at Victor.

"Ben…" Reed stopped him from going any farther. Victor laughed. I noticed that his smile didn't seem warm and friendly, it seemed to be more like he was baring his teeth. Victor was dangerous.

"Come on. Twenty-five percent of a billion is enough to keep the lights on for a while, isn't it? Maybe you can pay off your fourth mortgage on the Baxter Building. Deal?" Victor held out his hand and I held my breath. I knew Victor wouldn't negotiate, so if Reed didn't take this, then we wouldn't be going into outer space. Reed looked at Victor's outstretched hand for a moment, then took it, sealing the arrangement. I could have squealed in happiness. We were going to space! "Well then. To our future. Together." Victor snuck his arm around Susan's waist and my elation at going dimmed as I saw Reed get salt rubbed into his wound. The things he did for his research. "It's funny how things turn out, isn't it?" He said with a big grin on his face.

"Hilarious." Reed deadpanned. He began to pack up and I jumped to help out, trying to prove that I would be useful on this trip. Reed didn't seem to notice, as he was chatting with Ben again. I was used to being ignored and underestimated. It gave me a chance to listen and learn about those around me.

"He knew about NASA. Maybe he made the call to shut us down!" Ben whispered suspiciously. I knew Ben's hatred of Von Doom was clouding his judgment, but I had to admit that it was strange that he knew things that was not supposed to be public knowledge.

"Ben. Think about all the people we can help if this works, huh? Look. We got what we wanted, that's enough. A few days in space, it'll be great! What's the worst that can happen?" I groaned.

"Reed! Don't say that! You're going to jinx us!" They laughed quietly and Ben ruffled my hair, looking down at me with affection. We walked down the hall to the elevator, each of us lost in our own thoughts. As we climbed in, Susan caught up with us and joined us inside, Ben and I standing in the back and Reed and Susan standing in the front. Susan pressed the button and we all tried to ignore the heavy tension permeating through the small space.

"Reed, you should know that those solar winds have been picking up speed." Susan broke the fragile silence.

"I factored them into my equations." Reed instantly responded, completely missing the opportunity to try to compliment her and flirt. This guy was hopeless.

"Right. Of course you did." She murmured. "In theory. It's a little different once you're out there." Reed seemed to be offended by that, but I couldn't tell why.

"I can assure you I find-"

"When are we leaving?" Ben quickly interrupted, trying to salvage the situation. Poor Ben. Was he Reed's cleanup guy for when he got into trouble? The two scientists in front paused, as if they had forgotten that we were there as well. Susan turned around with a forced smile.

"I'll be scheduling the launch, so you can call me in the morning for resources and crew." She held out a business card to Reed who glanced down at it and looked back up at her with a smile.

"I think I remember the number."

"It's been changed." She replied without missing a beat. Reed's smile dropped and he took the card. I cleared my throat to catch his attention. When he turned around, I gestured towards Susan and then Ben, conveying what I wanted him to talk about.

"As far as crew, I was hoping Ben could pilot the mission." Reed shuffled around in the little room, trading me places to stand next to Ben, putting his arm around him in a show of support. I looked at Susan expectantly.

"We already have a pilot on our payroll, but you're welcome to ride shotgun. Remember my brother Johnny?" I could barely hold in my snickers at their faces.

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**AN: Weeeeellllll? What do you think? Give me some love! I did it the hard way, stopping the movie every five seconds so I could write what they were saying. I tweaked it a bit to fit in Lila, but not much in this chapter. More will be done in later ones. **

**R&R my lovelies! **


	2. The Storm

**AN: I am writing this as I watch the movie. Needless to say, I'm going to be able to quote the entire thing by the time I'm done.  
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**Chapter 2: The Storm **

LILA'S POV

"_That's _our piolet?" I watched through a pair of binoculars as Johnny Storm kissed some random girl while riding a motorcycle. He was the one we were trusting to get us to space and back? Seriously?

"Can't do it." Ben stated firmly, looking from me to Reed and back again. "Cannot do it." He began to walk away before Reed stopped him.

"External SRV's, orbital system engines, it's just like the shuttle-" Reed completely missed the point. I could practically hear the whoosh the point made as it flew over his head.

"No. I cannot take orders from the underwear model." I snickered.

"He's an underwear model?" I laughed as Ben glared at me.

"Oh, come on now, Ben!" Reed said.

"That wing nut washed out of NASA for sneaking two Victoria's Secret wannabes into a flight simulator." Ben insisted. Oh my God, that's hilarious.

"Youthful high spirits." Ben stared at Reed like he was crazy.

"They crashed it into a wall. A flight _simulator._" I couldn't contain a chuckle. How stupid could you be to do that?

"When have I asked you to do something you absolutely said you could not do?" Reed hedged, hoping to gain some ground.

"Five times." Ben replied easily, holding his hand out in either a show of the number five or a childish 'talk-to-the-hand' symbol.

"I had it at four."

"Well this makes five." Ben shouted as he walked down the stairs, leaving Reed and I alone. I laughed at my uncle's antics.

"He's right you know. This does make five." I teased, nudging Reed in the side lightly with my elbow. I winked to tell him I was kidding. "I'll go talk to him. Don't worry." He nodded and leaned against the guard railing, shaking his head in exasperation.

* * *

Later, in the lounge, Reed was still looking things up and Ben was finishing packing. I lounged on the couch, flipping through songs on my Ipod. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben look at a photo of Debbie, his fiancé. He was head over heels, but for some reason I just didn't like her. Never had. But, she made the big guy happy and that was all that mattered. I smiled at the gentle look that crossed his features as he thought about her. The moment was ruined when a loud voice shouted at us.

"Captain on the bridge!" Ben immediately stood at attention, stiff as a board, as a light flashed, blinding us all.

"The Hell?" I muttered as I blinked to clear my vision. Johnny Storm walked in, smirking and holding a camera.

"Digital camera, 254 dollars. Memory stick, 59 dollars. The look on your hard-ass former CEO's face when he finds out that he's your junior officer? Priceless." Reed tried to hide a smirk and I looked down, trying to hide my smile. Not many people stood up to my uncle, and I had never heard it done in such a funny way. No wonder he was a playboy, lots of girls went for the funny, rugged, bad-boy. And he was, debatably, smart as well. I internally criticized myself and made a pact that I would not be another notch on Johnny's bedpost. If he even noticed me, that is. I wasn't sure if he had standards, or if he would flirt with anything with legs. Ben glared down at Johnny, who had sat down on the arm of the couch I was lying on. He approached and violently unzipped part of Johnny's body-hugging uniform. My eyes couldn't help but wander. Damn, he was good looking. If only he wasn't a man-whore. I sighed internally. All the hot ones were shit. Figures. Johnny grinned at Ben's actions. "Thank you. That's sweet." I couldn't hold back a laugh at his comment. That seemed to grab his attention as he turned to look me up and down. I held his gaze, determined not to blush or look away. After a second, Johnny gave me what most girls would call a panty-melting smile and winked at me, before turning back to Ben. If he was ticked before, now that his niece had been checked out, he was beyond irritated.

"I can handle this ship. I can even handle Mr. Blonde Ambition. But I don't know where I should be flying or doing Swan Lake in these suits! I mean, who the hall came up with these?" I watched in amusement as he took down a suit from where it hung, looking at it disdainfully.

"Victor did." Susan said as she walked in, holding more suits. Presumably for Reed, Ben, and I. I shifted slightly, uncomfortable that I would have to wear such a skin-tight suit. "The synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your bodies individual needs." She walked in with a fair amount of her breasts on display. The rest could have easily been revealed by pulling the zipper down. As Reed's eyes grew at the sight, I had to wonder if she had a method to her madness.

"See, now that means, it keeps the hot stuff hot and it keeps the cool stuff cool." Johnny spoke as if we were children. I rolled my eyes, if we were children then we wouldn't be on this ride. As if he could feel my annoyance, he once again turned to me, raising his eyebrow. I shrugged and went back to watching Reed as he got up and came closer to Susan.

"Wow. Fantastic." Reed murmured. By the smile that graced Susan's lips, she thought he had been talking about her. It sure looked like he had been talking about her. But then he went and ruined it by continuing. "Material made from self-regulating unstable molecules. I've been working on a formula for this." I groaned and hit a pillow against my face, causing Johnny to laugh lightly. Reed was hopeless. Susan tried to hide her disappointment.

"Well. Great minds think alike." Reed was completely oblivious, as he continued to check out the suits. Susan gave up and turned to Ben. "Here you go, Ben." She gave him his suit.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"I don't suppose I can opt out of wearing one of those?" I asked hopefully as she approached me. She smiled at me.

"Sorry, but no. You need to wear one." I groaned a returned the pillow to my head, this time keeping it there. I felt someone reach over and grab it, and I came face to face with a grinning Johnny.

"Captain's orders." He told me, mock seriously, as his sister handed me my suit. "Besides, I'm sure you'll look great." He ran his eyes over me again and this time I couldn't help a blush from staining my cheeks.

Stupid playboy.

Susan became cold as she went to our fifth member.

"Reed." She said and threw his suit at him as she walked away. He looked so confused I had to feel sorry for him. For someone so smart, he was really stupid sometimes.

* * *

Soon enough we were at Victor's space port, wearing our surprisingly comfortable suits. As we walked in, I tried to ignore Johnny's heated gaze on me. I missed something that Victor said, I think something about the amount of time until the storm hit. I walked by my uncle and Johnny, with Reed and Susan lagging behind. I hoped that maybe they would talk or something. Anything.

"If you're good, maybe next time Daddy will let you drive." Johnny heckled Ben again, much to my amusement and his displeasure.

"Keep talking and there won't _be _a next time." Ben shot back. I couldn't help but smile at their antics, and that just seemed to spur Johnny on. He continued teasing my poor uncle all the way down the hall. When I glanced back I saw that Susan and Reed were talking a little. I hoped he didn't say something too stupid. They caught up with us as we reached the shielded area, Susan putting on a business voice.

"We can monitor the clouds approach and observe the tests from here."

"Is it safe?" Ben called out, his voice holding a slight tremor.

"The shields on the station should protect us." Reed said easily, approaching Ben and looking down at the shielded windows.

"_Should_?" My eyes widened as I realized there was a chance that this could be a dangerous mistake. Ben seemed to agree with my fears, as he gestured for Reed to explain. Before he could, Victor broke in, yet again. I was beginning to see a pattern.

"What's the matter, Ben? Getting paranoid in your old age?" He asked, walking right past where I was standing. I shrunk back from him, not that he noticed me. He was completely focused on the two men in front of him. I didn't realize where I was backing up to until I ran into a warm body. I looked up to see Johnny looking down at me in surprise. Of course it had to be him. I muttered an apology and slunk away to a different corner to hide, but I felt his eyes follow my progression with an interest I didn't want to look into.

"Let's start loading those samples." I heard Reed try to break up the tension between Victor and Ben. "Get your suit ready, Ben."

"So, I see you're still doing all the heavy lifting." Victor said, stopping Ben in his tracks. "Maybe you should have stayed in the lab. Field work never suited you." Ben came up behind Reed and faced Victor head on.

"He does the talking, I do the walking. Got it?" Ben ground out between his teeth, standing in front of Reed as if protecting him from Victor's cruelty.

"So take a walk, Ben. Actually if you'll all excuse me, I need to borrow Susan for a moment." Ben nodded and headed out of the room, me following closely behind him. I knew Reed was also there, but you could practically feel his reluctance to leave Susan with Victor.

* * *

I helped Johnny suit up Ben, taking special care to make sure nothing would go wrong.

"Please tell me your guy is not trying to rekindle things with my sister again." Johnny said it so casually, as if it didn't matter, but I knew he had to care about his sister.

"Of course not. Strictly business." Ben muttered, his voice filtering to me through the earpiece I had. Johnny gave a disbelieving smile as he typed some things into Ben's suit.

"Yes. Well. His eyes say differently, don't they?" I couldn't help but agree with him there. Ben stopped Johnny and looked at him seriously.

"Hey. Two hearts got busted last time. Maybe she's not over it either."

"Wow, Dr. Phil. That's deep. Let's think about that." He said, turning away from Ben to grab the samples of flora that Reed wanted to be exposed to the storm. "You got Victor: more money than God, stud of the year, and you got Reed: the world's dumbest smart guy worth less then a postage stamp. That's a real tossup." By this point, Ben was about ready to go out into the open, as I stood patiently at the doors.

"Don't trouble your tiny little mind." Ben growled at him. Johnny put his hand on Ben's shoulder in a sign of support. Well, a Johnny type support.

"Don't wander off now, boy." As Johnny set the airlock and gave Ben a mock salute. I stepped up and grinned at Ben, knowing he loved space. I gave him a thumbs up along with Johnny, and he sent one back as well as he turned to face the big open expanse of space. As he clamored out, Johnny turned to me. "So. I never caught your name, beautiful." I looked down at the floor.

"Lila." I said stiffly, I walked towards a chair and sat down, watching as Ben began setting up the samples.

"Hmmm...Lila. I like it. A pretty name for a pretty girl." He sat down across from me, leaning his head down to catch my eye. I gave a short laugh.

"If that's the best pickup line you have, then I'm afraid women's standards today have fallen way past what I had thought." I gave him an innocent smile as he blinked at me, obviously not expecting that. He bounced back though, grinning.

"Oh, I have better ones. I just figured you were too classy for any of them, so I decided to downplay."

"Right, nice recovery." He leaned back on the couch, sizing me up.

"So, Lil, you don't mind if I call you that do you?" I heard Ben laugh in my ear and I remembered he could hear our entire conversation. I silently told him to go to Hell.

"Actually, I do mind. Don't call me that." I glared at him. I hated when people made fun of my height, and the fact that my name made people think it was alright to call me 'lil' was always a sore spot for me. Johnny studied me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not I was serious, and then completely disregarded me.

"Anyway, _Lil, _how did you end up on one of the most exclusive space journeys of our time?" I glared at him, as if I could make him disappear by gazing at him.

"I'm Ben's niece, and I'm majoring in genetics. I've been helping Dr. Reed out when I can and I thought this would be an experience I just couldn't miss." I finally said after a few moments of silence that he seemed completely at ease with. Damn him.

"You're related to Baldy?" I heard a muffled complaint from said 'Baldy', but we both ignored it. "I don't see it. You look nothing like him. But don't get me wrong, that's a very good thing. A _very _good thing." He smirked down at me as I blushed before getting up and messing with something on the wall. Suddenly, Reed ran into the room.

"Ben, you need to get inside _now!_" He shouted, panic coloring his words. Johnny turned around from whatever he was fiddling with.

"What's going on?" Reed ignored him and ran to the window, looking out at Ben. Or, more specifically, at what was _behind _Ben. Johnny and I immediately grasped the severity of the situation as we saw a huge, billowing, orange cloud, heading straight for us.

Seven hours before it should have arrived.

"But I aint done arranging your flowers yet, egghead." Ben muttered, slowly turning towards the window where we all stood. The storm drew closer.

"Ben. Turn around." I shouted. We all watched as he turned to face the cloud in slow motion. After a few seconds of silent shock, Ben said what we all were thinking.

"Guys, I'm not going to make it."

"Ben, you gotta jump! It's the only way!" Johnny yelled, showing true compassion in his words. Even he was worried about Ben. Reed stared at him like he was crazy, but I watched, transfixed as Ben followed Johnny's advice. He leaped off of the platform he had been standing on and slowly floated towards safety. But he was moving too slow. We all watched in horror as the storm licked at Ben's heels. "Come on, Ben! You got this!" Johnny shouted, his face betraying his fear and worry. We were all holding onto a strand of hope.

"Okay, Johnny. Get ready to close the portal." Reed told him and for once the younger man didn't argue. He simply went to the wall and began preparing everything. I still stood, frozen, watching my uncle try to outrun a dangerous storm.

But he wasn't fast enough.

I watched in horror as one of the streaks from the clouds burst against his suit, and heard him grunt in pain. He was blasted against the window where Reed and I stood watching, horrified.

"Ben!" I screamed, pressing my hand against the glass, as if that would help him. He slowly slid down and I watched his eyes close. I wasn't sure if he was dead or just unconscious, but either way I was panicking. I backed away from his prone form, too terrified to even realize the portal's shield wasn't enough to keep the storm out. Orange light blasted through the door blinding me. Before I blacked out, from the excruciating pain I saw three things.

One, Reed was blasted head on and seemed to be stretched back from his body, making him look like silly putty.

Two, Susan had apparently tried to come help us, and was at the entryway when the storm broke through, blasting her as well.

And three, Johnny threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around my waist and turning me away from the blast, trying to protect me.

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**AN: Sooooo thoughts on Johnny's protectiveness, and how that might affect his and Lila's powers? **

**Any suggestions as to what Lila's powers should be? Changes to Johnny's to match the change in movement from the blast? Obviously he is still going to be the Human Torch, I just mean in addition to that. Like maybe some kind of connection with Lila. Since in this one, they are the only ones who are actually touching during the storm. **

**R&R my lovelies! **


	3. Fun at the Facility

**AN: 4 reviews? Oh come on peoples! 102 people saw this fanfiction, and only 4 reviewed?! D: That's not nice! TT_TT Anyway, for those that DID review…. THANKYOUTHANKOUTHANKYOU! I loved the ideas some of you gave for Lila's powers! They were creative! **

**I AM NOT REVEALING LILA'S POWERS IN THIS CHAPPY SO IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR HER POWERS FEEL FREE TO REVIEW AND COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE! :D**

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**Chapter 3: Fun at the Facility**

JOHNNY'S POV

"Ben! Wake up! Ben!" I had to keep the laugh out of my voice. This was going to be _so _much fun! I loved screwing with people, but Ben was one of my favorites to mock. It's not like he made it hard… I saw his eyes fluttered and slowly focus on me as I leaned over his bed. "Heeey. Rise and shine, big boy. How you feeling?" I grabbed a chair and sat down, still keeping my calm, serious façade. He groaned and I felt a small stab of guilt. I was teasing him after he had had a bad experience. Luckily, it was miniscule, so I shoved it back and went on without an issue.

"Where am I?" He muttered, looking around his surroundings.

"Back on Earth. We're in quarantine at Victor's medical facility." He looked around again, as if to prove he was back on his home planet. Then his eyes widened and he looked to me, shifting in his bed sheets.

"Lila? Reed? Sue?"

"Oh, they're fine. Everybody else is…fine." I let myself hesitate on 'fine', and watched in internal satisfaction as Ben's head snapped towards me, dread filling his features.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked hesitantly. I could have joked right then and named a whole bunch of things wrong with old Benny boy, but I stuck to my charade so I could go for the bigger prize. I took a deep breath, as if dreading my next words.

"I swear to you, Ben, they did everything humanly possible. The best plastic surgeons in the world are here, Ben. You had the best." He glanced around hurriedly, finding the mirror I had placed conveniently on his bedside table. But he didn't know that. As he reached for it, I took it from him.

"Give me that mirror!" He growled, his heart monitor starting to register his rising panic. I barely held in a smile.

"I don't know if that's…a good idea. They said the shock alone-"

"I said give me that goddamn mirror!" He shouted, and I gave it up easily. He didn't look at himself right away, instead he began to slowly, ever so slowly, bring it see himself.

"Ben just…be strong." At this point, his heart was going crazy. I began to slowly back away, knowing the explosion was coming and dreading it only slightly less than I was anticipating it. He finally brought it up to look at his unmarred face, touching his cheek as if he couldn't believe it. My grin escaped as I witnessed my perfectly executed plan fall into place. "Unfortunately, the doctors couldn't do anything to fix your face."

"Graaah!" He yelled. I ran as he threw the mirror at me, laughing as he missed, shards of glass flying. I snickered as I walked down the hallway, away from his room. As I opened the door to go another section of the facility, I ran into Reed. He looked much the same, but I noticed slight graying behind his ears. I grinned at the new look.

"Hey! Nice do!" I laughed shortly. Reed turned to look at me in confusion. "Liking the grandpa look." I elaborated by gesturing towards the hair by my ears. I then left him to go on down the hallway. I headed towards Lila's room, my good mood fading the closer I got. Lila was the only one of us that had yet to wake up. I found that strange, as I remembered pulling her into my arms and trying to shield her small body from the storm before it hit me. Shouldn't she have been one of the first to recover, as she had, hopefully, gotten less of the storm then the rest of us? The questions crowded around in my mind as I entered her brightly lit room. I had spent a lot of my time here since I woke up. I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but feel protective of her. I guess it was because of the whole thing from space. However, I had never felt, in any way, shape, or form, this peculiar feeling that only seemed to abate when I was near Lila. She lay on the bed, the only thing moving were her eyes under her eyelids and an occasional twitch of a finger. She seemed to be squinting, even with her eyes closed and on a whim I flipped the switch and the lights instantly died down. The twitch stopped and her eyes moved less frantically. She gave a soft sigh and seemed to settle down. I grabbed the chair I had been occupying constantly for the last few days. What was it about this girl?

"Back again, Johnny?" I jumped as my sisters voice rang out above the steady beeping of Lila's monitor. **(AN: Yes, in the movie Sue was still in bed at this point, but I'm changing it. Shhh!) **I shrugged nonchalantly. My new-found interest in Lila had not gone unnoticed by my sister, and she took every chance she got to try to find out why.

"Well, she is the only one that hasn't woken up yet. I was the captain, she was the crew I was responsible for." I tried to explain it to myself and to her. But I didn't even believe myself, so I was sure Susan wasn't going to. She snorted. Nope, she didn't believe me.

"Liar. I've known you your entire life, Johnny. You like her." I scoffed at the thought.

"No I don't. I barely even know her." She raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing me.

"That hasn't stopped you from bedding half the girls in New York, now has it?" I grumbled in resentful agreement. Didn't matter who the girl was, I would fuck her. In fact, I had wanted to screw Lila as well. She had an innocent, yet sarcastic and witty attitude that left me reeling. With a smile, I recalled when she had asked if she could opt out of the skintight suits. She had been embarrassed, but she had no reason to be. I felt my cock twitch as I remembered the way the suit had hugged her every curve. Lila had been hiding a delicious ass in those loose fitting jeans, and she had a fairly big bust. Not too small, but not too big, just right to fit into the palm of a man's hands. I suddenly had a hard time swallowing.

"Even if I did like her, which I don't, it would just to be another body to help warm the sheets." I wiggled my eyebrows, grinning lecherously, hoping that it would disgust her enough to stop her from heckling me and leave. She frowned and put her hands on her hips, her entire aura radiating disapproval. Damn.

"Keep telling yourself that, Johnny. But I can see the truth. You were interested in her before the launch and you are interested now. The fact that you tried to protect her on Victor's station just proves she's more than a fling to you. You want her, and not just her body." I rolled my eyes, standing up from Lila's side.

"Whatever, Sue. It's just because I haven't had sex in a while. I just need to have some fun. Then I'll be back to normal." She looked about to argue, but I walked out on her before she could. I didn't want to hear this crap. I needed to get my mind off of Lila. Glancing out the window, the mountains caught my eye. I saw tiny specks flying down it, snowboarders and skiers. I felt a grin curl up my lips. Perfect. I jogged down to my room and started getting dressed, tossing the sweats as I grabbed some warm clothes and snow pants. Hopping to get my leg into it, I exited the bathroom, almost running into a nurse on my way out. I vaguely recognized her from my time here, but I didn't know her name.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do we think we're going?" She asked, watching as I finally got into the pants.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the sickest runs this side of the Alps are right outside that window." I grabbed my coat.

"Yeah. I've noticed. But there are rules here. You can't leave until we-"

"Until we finish the tests. You know, I've never been good with rules. You let me know how those come out." I looked at her in mock seriousness. I paused. She _was _kind of cute. I ignored a teeny tiny voice in the very back of my head that said I was somehow betraying Lila and added, "You 'wanna help me with this zipper?" The nurse rolled her eyes and approached me.

"You know, this is not a ski resort." I zipped up my coat myself.

"Not yet." I said as I quickly grabbed my boots and shoved my feet into them. "Luckily, Grandma still sends care packages though." She looked down and I continued. "You know, it's amazing. For an eighty year old woman, you'd be surprised-" I was cut off as she put a thermometer in my mouth. Well, that was unexpected.

"You are trouble." She muttered. I hummed in agreement. Of course I was trouble, that's why so many girls liked me!

"Trouble _is _my middle name." Her face suddenly twisted in confusion and shock.

"Oh, you're hot!"

"Why thank you, so are you." Not completely true, I wouldn't say she went that far up the attractive scale. "And I'm not afraid to cry." Chicks digged the sensitive guys as well. She put her hand on my cheek.

"No, I mean you feel a little feaverish!" She worried. I grabbed her hand and removed it from my face.

"Well, I've never felt better in my life, my God you smell good. Listen, when do you get off work?" I asked as I removed the thermometer from my mouth.

"Four, but I-"

"Tell you what. You meet me at 4:01 at the top of the mountain. I'll give you a mint to freshen up." I grabbed my snowboard from behind me and went up to her confidentially, tucking the thermometer into her nurse apron. "This is yours," I kissed her lightly and quickly on the lips, "And that's mine." Before she could respond, I was out the door with my gear, "Nurses." I muttered to myself, heading towards the mountain.

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**AN: This chapter was shorter, because I'm not going to use my time to write if no one is going to read. *shrugs* It's as simple as that. I do love this story though, it was fun to be Johnny. Anyway, again IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR LILA'S POWERS AND HOW JOHNNY TOUCHING HER COULD AFFECT BOTH OF THEM FEEL FREE TO COMMENT YOUR IDEAS!**

**R&R my lovelies! **


	4. The Unexpected

**AN: I said I wouldn't update until I got at least 10 reviews. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And I got stuck on 9. SO *throws hands in air* I gave up! I understand the F4 fandom is not very big, so I'm basically just writing the story for my own amusement. **

**I got some more good suggestions for Lila's powers, but I think I have my own plan for them *rubs hands together evilly* **

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**Chapter 4: The Unexpected  
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LILA'S POV

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _I groaned as an incessant beeping dragged me from my subconscious. God, why wouldn't it stop?

"Lila?" I slowly blinked my eyes open, squinting against the onslaught of sudden light. I turned my head to where I thought I heard the origination of my name.

"Susan?" I croaked. I started coughing as my sore throat was used for the first time in who knows how long. She quickly gave me a glass of lukewarm water that had been resting on my bedside table.

"Better?" I nodded gratefully. After I downed the contents of the cup, I sat up a little against my bed, recognizing a heart monitor as the source of that annoying beeping.

"Where are we? How long have I been asleep?" I asked, shivering as a sudden wave of coldness shot through me. I curled up further under the covers, but it didn't seem to help me. As my mind replayed the events that led up to now, my eyes widened. "Oh my God! Ben! Is he-"

"He's fine. He woke up about an hour or so before you, actually. The rest of us have been up since this morning. We've been out for three days, and we're now quarantined at Victor's medical facility. We were starting to worry that Johnny being in contact with you when the storm hit was having a negative effect on you." I frowned in concentration as I struggled to remember the moments before I passed out from the storm.

"Johnny…he…he tried to shield me from the storm. Didn't he? I remembered him turning so his body took the brunt of the impact." I muttered, confused at a tight feeling in my chest when I mentioned him. What was that about? Was it a side effect from the storm? Susan nodded, confirming my statement.

"Yes. He's actually been here most of the day, watching over you. I'm not sure where he wandered off to though." I raised my eyebrow; that didn't sound like Johnny.

"Really? Why?" She shrugged feigning ignorance, but I could tell she was hiding something. I was pulled from my musing when another shiver wracked my body. I rubbed my arms, trying to ward off the chill. "God, could you please turn up the heat in here, Sue? It's _freezing _in here." I shivered again to prove my point. She gave me a strange look and walked over to the thermostat.

"Uh, Lila? It's 76 degrees in here. Hardly cold. Are you feeling alright?" I stared at here, shocked at the temperature.

"You have to be wrong, I'm so cold! Come here, feel my arm." I gestured for her to follow my instructions and she did. As soon as she came into contact with my skin she jerked her hand away as if it had been shocked.

"Damn, Lila! You _are _cold!" She hesitantly put her hand on my arm again and her expression remained one of shock and confusion. "Why is that, I wonder?" She murmured to herself, becoming lost in her own thoughts. I moved my arm away from her hand. Although she did feel warmer than me and the added heat felt nice, something deep inside me just told me she wouldn't be the one to help me. For some crazy reason, I was craving Johnny! I almost laughed aloud at the sheer randomness of that want. What the hell was happening to me?

"I don't know, but I just want to be warm! Jesus!" I curled up, trying to preserve body heat but it didn't seem to work.

"Hmmm…why don't you go take a long, hot shower? I'm sure that'll help. I'm going to go talk with Ben, I haven't seen him since he woke up. Alright?" I nodded enthusiastically. A hot shower sounded perfect right now.

"Yeah, that sounds good." As Susan wandered out of my room to find Ben I managed to pull myself up out of bed. As soon as my bare feet hit the tile floor, another wave of coldness swept through me, causing me to groan. I quickly made my way to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and some warm clothes from a dresser nearby. I entered the bathroom and locked the door, quickly discarding my hospital gown. I turned the water on and increased the heat until it was as far up as it could possibly go. Steam filled the room, and I sighed as the temperature rose with the humidity. I stepped in cautiously, thinking the water would probably scald me, but to my displeasure I found it still wasn't enough to completely fend off the cold that seemed to be stuck in my bones. Nevertheless, it was still a vast improvement to before and I sighed in pleasure as the water cascaded down me. I reached out and turned on my Ipod player that I had also grabbed, turning up the music full tilt. Evanescence blasted as I then flicked off the lights. My habit when taking a shower was to do it in the dark. I was never sure why, but it made me feel better and that was all that mattered. I washed myself thoroughly, glad to get the grime of three days' worth off of me. Even after I was sure my skin was pink from my cleaning abuse, I stood under the shower's spray. I reveled in the heat, even as it slowly became cooler. Eventually, I dragged myself out, turning off the now tepid water. I debated whether or not it was worth the rush of cold air to open the curtains and snag my towel. My desire to dry myself off won when the remains of the heat from the shower faded and I stood, shuddering, as the water on me got colder. I unlocked my Ipod and realized I had indeed taken a long shower, almost an hour or so. As I toweled my hair dry, I wondered errantly how everyone else was doing. I wrapped the towel around me and reached for my brush that I knew I had left beside the sink. Because this wasn't my usual bathroom, I fumbled about, searching in vain for my comb. As I reached, I wondered where Susan was, and if she had figured out why I had been so cold.

Suddenly, the cold that seemed to have retreated slightly in the wake of the shower returned with a vengeance. I gasped as ice filled my veins and the darkness seemed to cling to me like a second skin. Even though it was pitch black, I got the sensation of spinning rapidly and fought off the nausea it brought. Light began to fracture my dark cocoon, and I blinked my eyes shut at its blinding intensity. I had also noticed that lately, I had been more sensitive to light. When I felt the spinning had died down, I opened my eyes and gave a little shriek of shock, grabbing at the towel that protected my privacy.

I was no longer in the bathroom.

I wasn't even in _my _room anymore.

I was in the dining area, staring at an equally shocked Susan and Reed. My jaw dropped, not just at the strange and sudden shift in locations, but at my teammates' situations as well. They weren't shocked at my appearance, they were shocked at the changes in themselves.

Where I assumed Susan sat, was simply empty air. I saw a watch floating where Susan's arm should have been.

In her panic, she had apparently knocked over a bottle of wine that Reed now held. But he held it from where he sat, his arm stretched a foot longer than it should have been.

What.

The.

Hell.

We all watched as Reed slowly pulled his arm back into its normal length, making a weird elastic noise as it did so. Susan slowly became visible again. We all looked at each other in awe, completely shocked at what had just happened to each of us. Then, another strange thing happened: Johnny came in wearing nothing but a fluffy pink winter coat over his waist.

"Hey! You guys!" He exclaimed as he came trotting in. He muttered a greeting to the surprised cleanup lady before turning back to us. "You are never going to believe what just happened to me." We all stared at him, still stunned from our own experiences. We all looked down at the coat he was holding over himself. "What?" He glanced down and understanding lit his features. "Oh. Well. I can explain this." I averted my eyes, blushing up a storm and making sure my own cover was still securely in place.

"Well then…" He jumped as he heard me, looking over at me from where I had appeared in the shadows of the room.

"Lil! You're up! That's great! But…um…what's with the towel?" A wave of confusion, excitement, and arousal hit me and I shifted at the sudden emotions. What in the world was that? Johnny also had a perplexed look on his face. Before either of us could comment on it, Reed and Susan sprang into action. They immediately jumped up and began fast-walking down the hallway. Johnny and I struggled to keep up while keeping our flimsy covers on our dignities.

"It has to be the cloud! It has fundamentally altered our DNA!" Susan cried, her voice a bit high with her stress.

"Let's not jump to conclusions. We need a massive amount of evidence before making that leap." Reed responded. I was a bit distracted by Johnny, who I felt drawn to, like a moth to flame. The closer I got to him, the better and _warmer _I felt. Sweet, sweet heat. I was pulled out of my daze when Johnny's thumb suddenly caught on fire. I realized I had subconsciously moved closer to him and subtly shifted away, confused and frightened by my pull to the playboy.

"Whoa! Guys! Look!" He quickly penguin-walked over to the stunned scientists as I trailed behind. Mixed with my fear and confusion I could feel a distant prick of disbelief and delight, but I had no reason to feel them. They seemed to be coming from…Johnny. I didn't have time to ruminate on that sudden epiphany as Johnny snapped his fingers, stopping the flame. He then did it again and again, causing the flame to burst forth and extinguish, like a candle.

"The fuck?" I muttered, watching the show like everyone else.

"Now picture that…but everywhere." He gestured frantically at his body. "It was…_everywhere_. What?!" Susan turned to Reed with an expectant and disdainful look. He looked dumbfounded and quickly rethought his past statement.

"The cloud has fundamentally altered our DNA." He agreed with Susan. Johnny laughed like a child on Christmas, as if this was the best thing ever.

"Cool!"

"Not cool! Not everyone has your enthusiasm! I'm fucking _cold_. And before you say anything, it's not because I'm in a fucking towel." I muttered sullenly. He glanced at me and some of his elation dimmed a bit.

"Oh…uh. Here." He used his free had to rub my arm. Without thought, I instantly leaned into his touch, moaning quietly as his heated flesh scorched my own. "Um…" My eyes snapped open to find Johnny staring at me with a mix of amusement and…was that lust? I grimaced before quickly leaving him and his precious heat behind and catching up with Susan and Reed.

"We need to find Ben." Reed said seriously. My eyes widened, my discomfort forgotten. Oh God, if we all had these weird symptoms, and we only got part of the storm, what would Ben have? He was in almost direct contact with it! I sped up my pace with them, fear and determination driving me. Johnny came with us, but he was still psyched out about his flames.

"And you know what, guys? I think I was _flying_!" He added, causing me to gape at him for a moment. Elasticity, invisibility, teleportation, flame conjuring, and now flight? What next?! We walked down the hallway, coming to Ben's room.

"Cut it out, Johnny." Susan snarled to her brother, who was still snapping his flame on and off. It was sending me into a tizzy, but I still tried to will my body not to react to him and keep away. What was happening to us?!

"Still getting the hang of it." He said absently, continuing to play with the fire. Reed tried Ben's door to find it locked. He banged on it, trying to get a response from inside.

"Hey, Ben! It's Reed!" Susan whirled around to face Johnny, getting fed up with his antics and seeing that it was causing me trouble.

"Stop."

"Alright." He said, snapping his fingers to make the flame disappear once again.

"Alright?" She asked, brooking no argument.

"Yes."

"God."

"God." He repeated, mocking her.

"What is wrong with you?!" She shouted, the stress finally getting to her.

"Sue, do you know the code?" Reed asked from the background. She turned away to walk up to him and assist him in trying to open the door. Johnny turned to me, irritation still pouring off of him. When he saw me looking at him he frowned.

"What?" I shrugged and ignored the twinge I got when I moved away from him towards where Reed and Susan were struggling with the door.

"I might." She said to Reed as she went up to the keypad. I looked through the tiny slit of a window and worry pounded at me. The screens were all reading error and his heart was going ballistic. This couldn't be good. I could hear his heavy breathing though the door. Suddenly the bed broke and crashed to the ground. Reed and I banged against the door, trying to get it to open up to see if Ben was okay as Susan fiddled with the keypad.

"Hey, does somebody have keys to these doors?" Johnny called down the hallway, searching for help. "Anybody?!" Johnny continued to talk with Susan, when I stepped in the shadows, avoiding Johnny as he walked past. As I was engulfed in shadows, I calmed down some and sighed in relief. Johnny turned and gave me a strange look, and I wondered if he could feel my emotions like I could his. As Reed and Susan tried desperately to open Ben's door, I wanted desperately to be in there. With that thought, like a switch, cold seeped into me and I felt the spinning sensation again. The darkness consumed me as Johnny yelled out in shock. I closed my eyes again, and reopened them when I felt myself firmly standing once more. I was in Ben's room, and I screamed at what I saw. I simply stood there, not noticing when Reed's hand and arm slipped under the door, unlocking it. My scream seemed to rouse Ben and he took one look down at himself, and then back up at me, and fled.

Right through the wall.

I continued to stare in shock as the others filed in quickly. Johnny pointed out the small figure I knew to be Ben, saying 'look' continuously. Susan wrapped her arms around me and tried to rouse me from my shock.

"What's going on?" A voice behind us startled me and I turned to find Victor at the doorway, looking at the crumbling wall in veiled amazement. "What happened in here?"

"Victor!" Susan cried. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a few scrapes, that's all."

"Ben did this." Reed explained quickly. "He's had some type of reaction to the exposure to the cloud."

"We've all had…um…different symptoms." Susan said quietly as I looked on.

"Symptoms?" Victor seemed more confused than anything.

"Victor, I should have-"

"Just find him." Victor ordered and then left the room. I stared on in shock. How could he care so little about all of us, including Susan!?

"Anybody have any ideas to where the big guys going?" Johnny asked, looking out at the hole in the wall. Reed looked down at the ground and noticed something among the rubble.

"He's going home."

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**AN: Heh heh heh. Don't act like you know what Lila's powers are. Because you don't know. But you can REVIEW YOUR BEST GUESS! ;)**

**Really, you should try!**

**Even though I know you're not going to get it right. **

**Vile, aren't I?**

**I love being evil.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Who knows when I'll post the next one? SINCE NO ONE READS THE FIRST LETTERS TOGETHER DXXD Eh, R&R my lovelies!  
**


	5. Angrophobia

**Chapter 5: Angrophobia**

JOHNNY'S POV

Victor let us use his private jet so we could fly back to New York without having to deal with questions from the press. I personally didn't care. We were super heroes now! Why _wouldn't _we want to brag and show off? But I had been outvoted and I grudgingly accepted. Now we sat in the plane, hundreds of miles in the air. Lila had refused to tell us what she had seen in Ben's room, and she now sat across from me and Sue, silent. I think we had both figured out that we were in tune with each other's emotions and that, for some reason or another, we felt more comfortable the closer we were. Neither of us had brought it up with Reed or Susan, who were both too worried about Ben to notice our weird connection. Out of boredom, I practiced reading Lila's emotions, getting better and better at sensing her changing feelings. At the moment she felt worry (for Ben?), shame (why?), indecision (what about?), and cold (an underlying emotion and physical sense that had remained constant throughout the entire trip).

"Do you need a blanket, Lila?" Susan broke the heavy silence after Lila had shivered yet again. At her glare to me, I wondered how much of that was her coldness and how much of it was me poking around with her emotions. Could she feel me?

"No, I'm fine. But…" She hesitated, and a light flush rose on her cheeks. "Could I…could I sit by Johnny, please?" We both stared at her in shock. I felt an underlying sense of happiness and need as well, but I decided to ignore those.

"Uh…sure." Susan got up and switched places with Lila, a confused frown still in place. As Lila sat down, I felt as if my heat lowered slightly, and I gave a subtle sigh. While my temperature did not bother me as Lila's did, it did feel good when it was lowered. And that only seemed to happen around Lila. I remembered at the facility when I had rubbed her arm to try to ward off the cold she said she felt. Not only had the fire inside me diminished, but she had leaned into my touch with a look of rapture on her face. Was she absorbing my heat, and I her cold? Was that why we liked the contact, because it was like a cushion between or powers? It had also been impossible to hide the lust that had shot through me at Lila's breathy little moan as she basked in my heat. God, what I wouldn't give to hear that again, but with her in a bed under me.

"Johnny?" Lila whispered quietly, low enough so that Susan wouldn't hear.

"Yeah?"

"Should we tell her? About the whole emotions thing?" She worried her lip with her teeth and I decided I wanted to do it for her. Shit, what the hell was she doing to me?! In a panic to figure out how to stop this connection I nodded, turning to Susan who had been watching out conversation.

"Sue? There's something else about me and Lila's powers."

"What?" Reed, of course, chose that moment to pay attention to the world around him.

"Well…we can feel each other's emotions. Like, I have my own, but Johnny's are there in the background." Lila said quietly, looking down at the ground. I felt fear and insecurity roll off of her. Why the hell? I frowned at her in confusion and tried to convey assurance to tell her she had nothing to worry about. We were all freaks now. She looked up at me in shock. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" She seemed to struggle with the right words.

"You like…I don't even know! I felt your emotions, but I could feel them directed _at _me. Not like neutral like they have been. How did you send emotions to me?" I shrugged uncomfortably, aware of Reed and Sue's presence.

"I don't really know either. I was just thinking about trying to give you a confidence boost, and I guess my emotions were sent to you."

"Hmmm…" She closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, a tingle in the back of my head flared and I felt amazement and confusion. I looked at her to find she was doing the same. "Did it work?"

"Yup. You really didn't need to send confusion though, you're feeling that without wanting to anyway." I chuckled as her blush deepened in color.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"Fascinating. We are really going to have to test out our symptoms in more depth when we arrive in New York." Reed murmured after watching our chat.

"Is it easier to transmit emotions when you're in contact with one another? Is that why you wanted to move close to Johnny, Lila?" Lila hesitated, but Susan urged her on and I felt her resignation.

"No…I just…well I told you I felt cold, right?" Sue nodded. "Well, it hasn't gone away. Johnny's heat is the only thing so far that can keep it at bay. I guess I'm just really drawn to his power." I frowned at her.

"Is your coldness really that bad?" She shrugged.

"Not really, not anymore. It's not that it has gotten warmer, I've just gotten used to it. It's always in the background though, and it gets worse when I use my power. So it doesn't hurt, it feels better in your presence." She was as red as a tomato by the time she was done talking. After her explanation, she immediately looked down again, hiding her face in the waves of her brown hair. As Reed and Susan began to talk over our strange 'symptoms', as they continued to call them, I reached out and grabbed Lila's hand, rubbing my thumb over it in a rare show of affection. I didn't usually comfort girls, I just did them. But Lila was different, and she was confused and scared. It was the same as last time, just a nice feeling of coldness. Until she squeezed my hand.

The effect was instantaneous.

Just like before, touching her icy skin shot a bolt of pure lust straight down. Last time, I had had a coat to cover it up, but this time I had to shift in my seat to hide my throbbing erection. I could feel Lila's arousal as well. We both moaned in synchrony as pleasure shot through us. The connection was _stronger_. This time I could practically _feel _Lila draw on my heat as I drew on her chill. It felt like Heaven. I gripped her hand tighter just to continue feeling the amazing sensation. Because Sue was also right, touching physically made it easier to feel Lila's emotions. We seemed to feed off of one another, heightening it to a point of insanity.

"Stop!" Susan smacked my hand off of Lila's, earning a whimper of loss from the both of us. Reed and Sue stared at us as we panted, trying to regain our breath. I noticed I had leaned closer to her and jerked back.

"What...the Hell…was that?" Lila gasped out. I had no idea. Had it been because Lila had returned the touch this time? Shit, was touching her always going to leave me a horny mess? That was fucking ridiculous! I tried to tell myself that it would fade after a good romp with someone else, but I failed to convince myself.

"No clue. You started it though, it was fine when I did something. You must have done something!" I growled, using anger to hide my growing panic. What if I would always be stuck with her? She glared at me.

"You're the one who touched me in the first place!"

"To try to comfort you!"

"And since when do you fucking care, Johnny Storm?!" She finally roared, standing up and glowering down at me. I was stunned into silence at her sudden rage. I could practically taste it.

"Lila…" Sue tried to put her hand on Lila's shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"No, Susan! I'm tired of him! So what? Now I have to rely on him to get my heat and he decides to blame me for the effect it causes. Well, I'm _so _sorry that saving me caused us a connection! It must be _such _an inconvenience to the great playboy!" She shouted. My eyes widened.

"Lil, that's not what I-"

"And STOP calling me Lil! My name is Lila! L-I-L-A. I don't let others call me Lil, and I sure as Hell won't give you the pleasure to. You've been ignoring everyone else's problems unless they somehow effect or benefit you. Let me tell you, Johnny Storm, I will _not _jump into bed with you, just because you _pretend _to care!" I watched in awe as shadows from across the room seemed to fly to her, floating around her hands in a billowing black mass. She didn't seem to notice at all.

"Uh…Lila?"

"Shut up, I'm not finished!" She snapped at me, and I closed my mouth in surprise at her continued vehemence. Lila didn't seem like the type to fight, I had always seen her shy away from confrontation. "Everyone but you is worried about Ben and everyone but you seems to get that having these so called 'super powers' is not a fucking good thing! So while you sit there, acting like you own the world because you are a living lighter, the rest of us worry about how else the storm has affected us! I know Ben has it the worst, but I must be pretty damn close to his level of pain because I have to be connected to an egotistical,-"

"Lila-" Reed tried but she kept going.

"-Narcissistic,-"

"Please just-" Susan tried this time, and failed as well.

"-Childish, pigheaded _man-whore_!" She finally hissed, glaring down at me. Her hands were completely covered in black shadows at this point, and her eyes were glowing an eerie ice blue. Her chill seemed to radiate outward now, causing all of our breaths to fog. I sat there, shocked that anyone had the audacity to call me any of those things! Me! I stood up, towering over her slight form.

"You think _you _have it bad?! Try being connected to _you_!" I yelled, flames erupting from my fists.

"Johnny, I don't think-"

"Shut up, Sue. You let her say her piece and now it's my turn." I spit. "You're constantly hiding away from everyone, and you act like no one understands you! Get _over _yourself! We're all freaks now, it's not just you. You're not the special one. In fact, you wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you hitching a ride with your Uncle!"

"I'll have you know-" She began to defend herself, but I cut her off.

"You think you're so smart, but everyone, _everyone_, has had more experience than you. You act like our connection only affects you, but do you think I want a whiny bitch's emotions in my head, influencing how I act?! No, no I don't!"

"I don't infl-"

"Yes you do! I wouldn't react to you this strongly if you didn't! You're right, maybe I wanted to get you in bed before, but now that I've met the true Lila I'd rather have sex with a rabid bulldog!" I snarled. I felt her pang of uncertainty and insecurity and it urged me on. "And I may help you, but all you do is drain my power! Why would I want to be near you anyway? So, you're not just an inconvenience, you're just an annoying leech I have to deal with! Maybe the reason you're so cold is because you have no fucking heart! I was just trying to help you and you blow up at me. Fuck off, Lila. You don't know the whole story. Maybe next time you should make sure you do before accusing me of just trying to get you in bed!" The end of my rant was met with dead silence. Reed and Susan were staring at me, open mouthed. Lila's eyes had faded back to their normal brown and the shadows had fled her fingertips. She stared at me, glassy eyed, trying to fight tears. Her emotions were scattered all around, but the main two were guilt and acceptance. My anger faded as I realized I might have gone too far. But how else was I supposed to react when one girl sent me on a roller coaster ride that I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to get off of? I wasn't the dating sort of guy, I was the one night stand type.

"I'm sorry. You're right, you have to deal with me as well. I was being selfish." I wanted to interrupt that she had every reason to feel the way she did, and be angry, but she went on. "I didn't realize I was draining your powers…I wasn't meaning to be a leech. I'll try to stay away from you from now on. I can deal with the cold. I won't bother you again." She whispered, staring at the floor with a blank expression that just about broke my heart. Even sleeping, Lila had the most expressive face and it hurt me to know she was suppressing it because of me. I didn't want her to have to deal with the cold all by herself, I could tell it still bothered her. I tried to swallow my pride to say something, but I couldn't seem to. I watched, silent, as Lila walked away to the back of the plane where Victor had a small room for sleeping. She entered and we all her the click as the door locked behind her. I couldn't see or hear her, but I could feel her pain. She was blaming herself for everything.

"Nice going, Johnny." Sue said sarcastically as I turned back to them.

"I didn't mean to make her…I mean…she _agreed _with me…what the Hell?" I sat down still trying to figure out why Lila had lost her anger and submitted to me so easily. Surely it wasn't because of the bond? I voiced my fear and Reed shook his head, sighing.

"No, it's not that. She avoids confrontations usually because she has Angrophobia, or the fear of anger or being angry. When she does manage to get past her fear, she usually backs off immediately because she was afraid of being angry. Ben and I have been working to help her overcome it. But she still avoids fights and anything involving anger. All those pent up emotions sometimes just explode out of her. You just happened to be the one she unleashed them on." Reed explained, plopping down in the seat across from me. He rubbed his hand over his face in a show of exhaustion.

"But why did she just give in? Agree with me? Sure, okay she doesn't like being angry, but she didn't have to bow down to me. It was just weird and…not Lila." I muttered. Reed gave me a tired smile.

"No, it's not Lila at all. The thing is, it's not just that she doesn't like being angry. She doesn't like anger period. And you were feeling it towards her. Her immediate response was to agree with you and let you lead and get your way so you would be happy, and not angry. Believe it or not, she's actually doing a lot better. Before, she was even hesitant to voice her own opinions for fear of making someone angry. Now, her phobia only appears when she herself becomes angry. Then she kind of reverts and runs."

"That's so terrible! She seems like such a nice girl, she doesn't deserve that." Susan shook her head in sympathy.

"No one deserves a phobia. Hers just happens to be one that is hard to conquer, as anger is an essential human emotion. She's done well for herself though, and I'm as proud as Ben is." Reed smiled slightly.

"I didn't know." I said, guilt crashing down on me. I should have known! That much rage was too much for our situation, I should have known something else was behind it.

"She doesn't exactly advertise it, Johnny. But, could you do me a favor?" I looked at Reed and nodded for him to continue. "Just…try not to get to mad with her. This has been hard on all of us, and tempers are high. I know that. But if you have to take your anger out on someone, just try not to let it be Lila. I would hate for her to withdraw again. Those things she said, she didn't mean them, I'm sure. It was just her temper finally escaping."

"I promise I'll try. I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but I think part of the problem was the emotional link. We feed off of each other. I felt her anger and I kinda just met her halfway." Sue patted my knee in a show of understanding.

"We'll figure everything out, Johnny. We'll be fine." She said, giving me a sisterly smile. I rolled my eyes at her, but smiled back.

"God, we're getting all emotional. Fuck. I better go apologize to her while I'm still all mushy from this love fest." Reed stopped me.

"No. She needs to be alone. You can talk to her when we get off the plane and get to New York." I didn't like it, but as I had already screwed up with her once, I agreed. We couldn't arrive at New York fast enough.

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**AN: ONE of you reviewers guessed correctly (not that there were a lot to begin with .) but BRAVO to Layla347! Brownies for you! *hands brownies* ^_^ **

**Like my little twist for Lila? I thought it would be cool to add some more depth to her, to prove she's not a coward. She just has a few issues, just like everyone else! The phobia will come into play later, I'm sure. Or maybe it won't. I have no idea. XD**

**Anyway, tell your friends to read my fanfic if you like it and R&R my lovelies! **


	6. The Destruction of the Bridge

**AN: I got to 20 reviews! Woohoo! Glitter for EVERYONE! :D Sorry about the super delayed update. More about that at the end of this chapter. **

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**Chapter 6: The Destruction of the Bridge**

JOHNNY'S POV

We all sat crammed inside of one taxi. We were desperately searching for Ben, but my mind kept wandering to Lila. It was painfully obvious how she had distanced herself from me; from the fact that she hadn't said one word to me these last few hours, to the fact that she chose to sit at the opposite side of the car, stuffing Sue and Reed in-between us. How was I supposed to apologize if she kept this up? I tried to ignore the guilt that still nagged at me when Lila's emotions sometimes hit me. They remained the same: shame, guilt, fear, sadness, reclusiveness, and, of course, cold. Reed's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Okay, so he was there last night. Debbie's going to meet us on the other side of the bridge." He reminded us as it came into view. Reed had called Debbie to see if Ben had come, and it seemed he had. Ben had apparently shown up at Deb's house and had, in her words, turned into a giant monster. I think we all looked at Lila to see if she gave any confirmation of that, as she was the only other one to see him, but she remained constant in her expressionless silence.

"So what did Ben look like, Lil?" I had continued using her nickname, it just felt right. She was Lila, but she was also Lil to me.

I was officially losing it.

She shook her head and kept looking straight ahead, not even giving me the courtesy of meeting my eyes. Frustration and irritation cropped up inside of me. I was at least trying to mend the rift I had torn, she could at least try too. I was very close to just saying 'fuck it' and moving on. Even though I subconsciously knew I couldn't stay away from her, I just wanted to get as far away from her and her issues as possible. I just needed a night with a girl, maybe two, to calm myself down, but every time I even thought about it, Lila's face was the only one that came to mind.

Yep, I had lost it. Both my balls and my brain.

Suddenly there was a big commotion up ahead of the cab and cars left and right crashed and pounded into each other. The taxi quickly stopped before it reached the destruction and we all hurriedly got out to see what it was, worried that it was what we all thought it was. Or who we all thought it was. We strained our eyes to see what was blocked by several cars and some smoke from the ones that had been misfortunate enough to crash. We walked up closer to the chaos, only to find it clogged by a mob of people. The police showed up faster than I thought New York traffic was capable of and blocked off the area, holding back the crowds of people that wanted to get a good look at the damage.

"What do we do now?" Lila asked quietly, gesturing to the mass panic around us.

"We're not going to get past these guys." Reed stated the obvious, venting his anger and I watched as Lila shrunk away. Oh, so I couldn't direct anger at her, but he could? What the Hell?! He paused and then turned to my sister. "But you could!" We all looked at him in surprise. Sue seemed to understand what he was talking about and closed her eyes, concentrating. Her form slowly disappeared, leaving her floating outfit.

"Um, couldn't Lila just do her teleport thing?" I asked, cringing at the thought of what was to come.

"I don't know how to control it. I don't even know how I did it. Sorry…" She muttered, looking down at the ground. I sighed in resignation, but it wasn't like I knew how to make myself full flames, I couldn't exactly be mad at her.

"Sue, your clothes! Lose them!" Reed hissed.

"This is so wrong…" I muttered, turning away from where my sister stood undressing in a completely public place. My eyes caught Lila's and she gave me a small, strained smile of understanding. I would count that as progress. I glanced back at my sister's invisibly strip just in time to see her become visible again. I couldn't help but notice Reed's eyes were glued to her. "Ah…" I groaned in thinly veiled disgust. Once she realized she was visible again, she instantly covered herself up, as she was only currently in her bra and panties.

"Wow, you've been working out." Reed said and I saw Lila stifle a laugh.

"Shut up!" Sue snapped. "Any more great ideas?! Why don't you strip down and have a hundred people stare at _you_!" As she spoke, she again began to fade.

"Sue." Reed raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly at her visibility. I couldn't help but look back to see if she would actually do it. After a slight hesitation, she began undressing once more, much to my horror.

"I'm going to need therapy." And I averted my eyes to look at Lila again. I errantly wondered if I would be this disgusted if she was the one who had to undress. Blood rushed downwards in response and, judging by Lil's blush, she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Reed said as he began to walk away. I grabbed Susan's clothes, not wanting her to be naked once she became visible again. That was something no brother wanted to see. Ever. As Susan walked and shoved through people, Reed, Lila, and I followed behind her.

"Excuse me. Coming through!" I heard her tell the citizens that were shocked that empty air was speaking and moving them. Their faces might have been comical if I didn't remember that some of them were probably inadvertently touching my naked sister.

Gross.

As we got through the worst of the crowd, Sue grabbed her clothes and ducked behind some wreckage to change.

"I still can't believe you made me do that." She said after she was done redressing.

"It got us through, didn't it? Let's just find Ben." Reed said and we all headed towards where we were sure we'd find him. Reed went on ahead as Lila climbed up onto a deserted taxi cab to get a better view of the area.

"Ben!? Ben!?" She shouted, trying to be heard over the crowd. To both me and Sue's surprise, he appeared from behind a van.

At least…I think it was him. He was orange and looked like he was made completely of rocks of some kind. He had also almost doubled in size. No wonder Debbie had thought him a monster. Reed stepped up from wherever he had been to stare at this new Ben too. As he came forward, I heard a small voice off to the side.

"Mom? Mom!?" I looked over to see a little girl right by a burning car. If she didn't get out of there, she would be incinerated! Without a thought, I ran and jumped over car roofs and got to her just before the flames from the explosion hit her. I shielded her with my body, the flames trailing harmlessly over me. I concentrated hard on making sure the little girl wasn't hurt. I heard the screech of metal and crashes and when I looked up, a fire truck that had swerved to avoid cars that had been blown back from the explosion was no half hanging off of the bridge. Shit! Could this day get _any _worse? I heard Lila scream and looked back in a panic, afraid that she had been hit in the backlash of the explosion. To everyone's shock and amazement, Sue stood there, holding the fire in with a massive bubble thing, protecting not only her and Lila, but the people that had gathered to watch this horrific nightmare. As the fire diminished, I looked down at the girl in my arms and was relived to find her fine.

"Stay here, okay?" I ordered as I walked towards this new wreck. I watched in horror as firemen attempted to save one of their own that was clinging to the back of the truck, hanging precariously over the water. But, their weight caused the truck to lean further towards falling into the black waves. Suddenly, Ben grabbed onto the bumper of the truck and pulled it down, trying to keep it from falling any further.

"No you don't!" I heard him bite out through his teeth as he pulled the truck down. Whatever Ben was now, he was incredibly strong. Like…_damn_. But as Ben was trying to stabilize the fire truck, the ladder released and yet another fireman was hanging on for dear life. Ben was trying with all his might to keep the truck on the bridge, but it dragged him across the concrete, leaving rubble where his feet had been trying to find purchase.

"Reed! Do something!" I heard Lila shriek and I saw one of the firemen fall from the truck. Reed instantly stretched down, lengthening his body to the point that I could barely stomach it. He managed to catch the man just in time and began to retract his libs, dragging the poor guy up with him. With a grunt, Ben began to gain some ground again, tugging the truck back up towards the relative safety of the road. Finally, he had dragged it back far enough that it would stay up on its own and stopped, panting in exhaustion. Suddenly, police surrounded him, pointing guns. Wow, Ben just couldn't catch a break.

"Get down on the ground!" I heard one of them yell. When Ben just stared at them in shock, he repeated himself. "Get down on the ground!" Reed, Lila, Sue, and I ran to the edge of the police circle that had their sights set on Ben.

"No!" Lila cried as she saw what they were doing, and dodged the police and ran straight into the Ben.

"Lila!" I cried, trying to catch her before she went in front of a dozen loaded guns, but missing her.

"He just saved those people! You can't shoot!" She cried, putting her arms out in front of Ben. Applause began from the people that had watched the display, agreeing with Lila whole-heartedly. Even the firemen joined in in the applause, urging the police to lower their weapons.

"Ben!" Reed shouted, still trying to get through the circle Lila had. Ben looked around as the people cheered him on. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto something, as did Lila's. I looked to see Debbie, standing among the people watching the spectacle. Ben began to walk towards her, but she shook her head and backed away, causing him to stop. I watched as Debbie took her wedding ring off and put it on the ground before disappearing into the crowd. Even I felt that that was harsh. He walked towards where she left the ring slowly, causing the people there to back up cautiously. Even Reed and Sue knew what was going on by now and we all watched in pity as Ben tried and failed to pick up the ring with his now huge fingers. Lila slowly walked over to him and picked it up for him. She placed it in his hand, not saying a word. They both stood up and looked at each other for a little bit, Ben cradling the ring close to his body. Then Lila threw her arms around his neck and began whispering to him, and I saw a few tears trickle down her cheeks. Reed took the moment of distraction of the police to get through and go up to Ben and Lila.

"I swear to you, I will do everything in my power, until there is not a breath left in me…you're going to be Ben again." Lila looked up at her uncle and he looked down at her in what I could only call complete affection. He simply nodded as Lila took his other hand in support.

Well.

Today had certainly been fun!

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**AN: Okay, I'm just going to make a wild prediction and say Johnny is going to be OOC for a lot of this. It's kind of hard to keep the playboy image up when he has an emotional connection to Lila that makes him want to be all cuddly and warm to her ;) So, sorry about that. I tried, but I'm not sure how well I can do. **

**This chapter seemed like a bit of a strain, but it was a major part of the story (finding Ben), so I apologize if you don't find it up to snuff. **

**I do not know when the next update will be, as I have my sequel and my other, more popular fanfiction to write and school has started. Sorry about that. **

**Anyway, R&R my lovelies! **


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